


An Ephemeral Occurrence

by astrccyte



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: M/M, au-la la land, bc i love this movie, can u tell i love this movie, i jam to its soundtrack 25/8 tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-08 11:22:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13457199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrccyte/pseuds/astrccyte
Summary: Aspiring actor Jaehyung Park serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions, while jazz musician Brian Kang scrapes on by playing cocktail-party gigs in dingy bars. Their lives intertwine by chance, and their stories mesh for a shining moment.--or the 'la-la-land' based jaehyungparkian au i've been dying to write because i love la la land and i love jaehyungparkian even more





	An Ephemeral Occurrence

**Author's Note:**

> songs for this chapter:  
> [another day of sun.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWnYIb2lqpo)  
> [someone in the crowd.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2zb6zg-W2s)

 

❝ _‘Cause maybe in that sleepy town_   
_He'll sit one day, the lights are down;_   
_He'll see my face and think of how he  
used to know me._ ❞

* * *

 

Why had Jae moved out to Los Angeles again? Long Beach wasn’t so bad-- it was only thirty minutes away, after all. He could experience big city life quite easily from Long Beach, without the sky high rent prices, and of course, the damn Los Angeles traffic. Speaking of which--

He let out another frustrated sigh as he looked out of his windshield, observing the heavy traffic on the bridge. He had moved--what? Maybe a mile forward in the past thirty minutes? This was literally hell. The boy was late to work, and had already been chewed out one too many times for his tardiness. Another misdemeanor would surely result in him getting fired. And that just wouldn’t do-- He couldn’t afford to get fired. Not when he was living paycheck to paycheck. Los Angeles rent was damn expensive.

At least he could use the spare time to practice this script. Glancing at the traffic one last time, the male reached over into his glove box, yanking out a roll of creased paper. His eyebrows furrowed together as his eyes skimmed over the page, quietly mumbling the words to himself over and over again.

Truth be told, he already knew the script by heart. Jae had been practicing everyday, absolutely dedicated to getting the part. Sure, it was a small time gig -- just a minor role in some television crime drama -- but it was still a gig. It was still an opportunity. Every chance he had to be able to reach out towards his dream, he would take. It didn’t matter how small or insignificant it was. It was all about building up his reputation, building up his work experience: the harder he worked, the more would come out of it. A little struggle in the beginning was okay. After all, he could do it. Jae _knew_ he could. He’d be a star one day, and his face would be plastered on billboards, and everyone in Los Angeles would know his name; he’d be cast as the lead in every single block buster movie, and all the kids who bullied him in high school would be on their knees, asking for forgiveness from the world’s biggest Hollywood star--

Lost in his own fantasy, Jae didn’t notice that the traffic had finally began to let up a bit, and he was stalling the long line of cars behind him. It wasn’t until a rather boisterous man in a red convertible revved up his engine, and pulled up right next to Jae, that the blonde awoke from his daydream. Glancing to the side, he frowned as the aforementioned man flipped him off, before proceeding to return the gesture.

“Hey, fuck you, jerk! I was gonna move!”

“Oh, really?” The stranger replied snidely, glancing at the stack of papers in Jae’s hand. “You were staring at that for quite some time. Got an audition today? Just like another thousand people in this city? You probably won’t make it, you bitchy B-list actor.”

Jae could only gape in response to the man’s crass behavior, before flipping him off one more time and finally pulling forward.

_Damn, people in LA can be so fucking rude._

\-----

It was official. Life sucked. Life sucked so fucking bad, and it wasn’t fair. It really wasn’t. Jae had always been a good kid. He worked hard in school (sorta), he was nice to his sister (at times), and he never ever _ever_ bad mouthed anyone (usually). He was a good person! Yet the universe seemed so hell bent on ruining every damn thing, every damn time. The audition -- the one he had been practicing for while in traffic, before the douche in the convertible interrupted him -- went _terribly._ Abso- _fucking_ -lutely terribly.

For starters, Jae had accidentally spilled coffee all over his shirt at work, and went in the audition looking shabby as hell. Secondly-- his car broke down, so he had to take the bus to the studio, resulting in him being late, which didn’t do him any favors with the casting director. And thirdly-- Thirdly, the casting people didn’t even pay him any attention while he was auditioning. The two who had been there had essentially been on their phones while he was reading his lines, paying him no mind whatsoever. In hindsight, Jae should’ve just walked out right then. It was clear that they had no intention of hiring the messy looking blonde with a giant ass coffee stain emblazoned on his once pristine white shirt.

It was nighttime now, and Jae was making his way back to the apartment. He left his car behind at the coffee shop; he didn’t have enough money to get it towed and repaired anyways. He’d just continue taking the bus for now, until he could scrounge up enough cash to get the stupid hunk of useless metal fixed. Maybe he could guilt his roommates into driving him around for a bit. After all, Wonpil and Dowoon did owe him for all those times Jae would drag their drunk asses home from whatever extravagant Hollywood party they had managed to sneak themselves into. Speaking of Wonpil and Dowoon--

Jae knew there was something fishy going on the minute he set foot into an eerily quiet apartment. Their place was never this silent… Wonpil and Dowoon were always chatting loudly and laughing, or at the very least has some music or the television running. There was never a hushed moment in their home. Silence meant something-- it meant Wonpil and Dowoon were up to no good.

Turning the corner towards his bedroom, Jae let out a screech (a very manly one, mind you), as Dowoon and Wonpil leaped at him from the dark alcoves of the area, shoving a dress shirt and some slacks into his arms.

“Come on!” Dowoon was practically tugging Jae’s shirt off for him. “There’s a party over on Melrose-- Wonpil knows a guy, who knows a guy, who knows another guy, who knows this _girl_ , who knows this other girl, who can totally get us into the party! It’s gonna be great!”

Wonpil nodded along eagerly, seemingly unbothered by the fact that Dowoon was currently attempting to forcibly strip Jae. “Mm! It’ll be lots of fun! It’s been awhile since you’ve gone out with us, Jaehyung...”

Jae growled, finally managing to yank himself away from the youngest’s claws. “Thanks for the invite guys, but I’m good. Parties aren’t really my thing, you know that. Y’all go have fun and I’ll stay here. Besides, if all of us get wasted, who’s gonna get us home?” He smiled softly, ready to turn away for the night. Unfortunately, Wonpil wasn’t going to allow that.

“Seriously Jae? All you do is go to work, then go to auditions, then come home and pass out! You never have fun anymore!” He pouted, “And who knows? What if you meet that someone? The someone in the crowd you need to know? What if there’s a big casting agent at the party? What if that’s your ticket to getting in a movie, instead of going to a million auditions, hoping to score some shitty no-name role? Why not take a chance? It’s not like you have anywhere to be. You’re just gonna sit here all alone and eat fried chicken and watch old reruns of _The Office_.”

The blond gulped, staring at the other boy. It wasn’t like Wonpil to get angry, or even annoyed. The male was normally a happy and cheery individual-- and when he got angry, it was bad. Jae knew that if he continued to ignore Wonpil’s requests, it would end badly for the entire household. Besides, the other made a good point-- it wasn’t like Jaehyung was doing anything anyways. Wonpil had hammered the nail right on the head when he talked about the fried chicken and _Office_ reruns. Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

“Ugh. Fine, I’ll go. And Dowoon-- I can dress myself!” He snatched the clothing from the youngest’s arms, before shoving the pair out of the room. “Just-- just wait in the living room or something. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Jae didn’t miss the way the two’s faces lit up with joy. Even if his day sucked, at least he could make his best friends’ a little happier, right?

\-----

Regret.

Regret.

_Regret._

This was a mistake-- Jae should have never come to this stupid party. Wonpil and Dowoon were stupid for making him come, and stupid for making him wear these dumb clothes they really couldn’t afford, and stupid for ditching him to go take advantage of the open bar. And he was stupid for giving in to Wonpil’s dumb pouty face, and Dowoon’s dumb sad face because now Jae was stuck here. He was stuck all alone at some stupid Hollywood party, with a bunch of stupid wannabe celebrities just like him, at some stupid mansion, with a stupid drink in his stupid hand. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

He lounged in the back corner of the party, leaning against the wall as he took sips from his glass, staring at the scene of all the young people playing by the pool or taking shots by the bar. This was dumb. He really should’ve stayed home with his chicken and tv. This was a waste of time. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice a man approaching him until the stranger was next to him as well, leaning against the wall and taking a drag from a cigarette. Glancing to the side, Jae looked at him for a couple seconds before turning back to the sight of the pool-- before turning back to the sight of the man, as realization set in on him.

“It’s you!” An accusatory finger was pointed at the stranger, as Jae’s brow furrowed together. “The dick from this morning!”

A pair of slanted eyes briefly looked over him, before their owner returned to staring out in front of him, a thin trail of smoke floating away from his mouth. “Fancy meeting you here, bitchy B-lister.”

Jae huffed, crossing his arms. “Oh, fuck off, douchebag.” Seriously, what was with this guy? Did he have a permanent cactus up his ass or something? “Why’d you come stand next to me anyways, huh? There’s plenty of room elsewhere.”

The stranger remained quiet, finishing off the cigarette before tossing the stub into a nearby ashtray. “I just needed a smoke. Don’t flatter yourself.” He smirked, finally turning to face the blonde in full. Jae just rolled his eyes. This guy was the classic Hollywood asshole. He had dealt with plenty of that type before.

“Hey, Brian-- we’re up next.” A voice called out from a little ways off. The stranger glanced over, before sighing and walking over, rolling his shoulders a bit.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m comin’.” The male -- who Jae figured was named Brian -- paused for a second, glancing back at Jaehyung. “Hey, B-lister. Quit frowning so much. People might think this is a funeral instead of a party.” He flashed the blonde a lopsided grin, before continuing on. “Maybe we’ll run into each other again? Seems like that’s what the universe wants.”

Jae could only roll his eyes for the umpteenth time, before going back to quietly sipping at his drink.  “Tch. Fuck off, asshole.”

Surprisingly, Brian just laughed in response. “I’ll take that as a maybe. See you ‘round, B-lister.” And with that, he was off.

Jae just sighed. This really was a stupid party. He wanted to go home…

_Now, where were Wonpil and Dowoon again?_

**Author's Note:**

> AND THERE IT IS!!! honestly i have been thinkin about this au for a long ass time, and i'm excited to share it with y'all. i absolutely loved the la la land movie, and it gave me a lot of inspiration. obviously, i've changed this story up and it doesn't follow the la la land plot and characters perfectly (ie brian/sebastian's personality), as i wanted to give my own twist on it instead of making a carbon copy of the movie. i'm still unsure whether i'll keep the original ending or not... i might bc i love to torture myself but at the same time im a sucker for happy endings... SO WE SHALL SEE!  
> ;_; i'm really excited for this!!!! (as i always say, on every single au i make lol)
> 
> as always, thanks for stopping by and reading! i appreciate it!


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